A Week in the Life of New Lovers
by sleepyzucchini
Summary: Ever wonder what happened with Luke and Lorelai during the week after "Written in the Stars?" Let's find out!
1. Monday

**Monday morning. Luke's Diner.**

Lorelai held the coffee mug with both hands. As she drained the last of the satisfying brew from its depths she peered over the rim, watching the coffee's maker as he scuttled from one end of the counter to the other, bringing requested breakfast food to his other customers.

It was a _fine_ sight.

Reluctantly she put down the oversized mug and glanced inside, just in case it had miraculously refilled.

Nope. Still empty.

She put her hands on the table and grudgingly pushed herself up to her feet. It was going to be another hectic day at the Dragonfly. Her inn ― her dream, her joy, her second baby ― had been open for going on eight weeks now, and every day had been an exercise in time management, tact, and ingenuity. This week would be no different.

She rooted around inside her purse, trying to locate her wallet by touch. When that failed she opened her bag further and looked inside, pushing past the cosmetic bag that had been a free gift , (or it cost $75.00, if you counted the products she had to buy to get it), the half-empty bag of crushed Oreos, and the notebook-planner that was still stuffed with receipts for last-minute purchases for the Dragonfly.

Her spine tingled with sudden awareness. She looked up and Luke was looking at her. She didn't even try to fight the smile that lit up her face. He smiled, too, slowly and sexily. Electricity snapped and crackled between them. Then his name was called, he gave her a shrug, and he turned away to deal with the responsibilities of his business.

With the purse slung over her shoulder and her wallet clutched in her fingers she made her way over to the cash register. Luke was still too busy to ring up her bill, so she looked around at the familiar space. She got as far as the cloth separating the diner from the back of the building before her gaze was arrested.

It had been just yesterday morning when she'd stepped out from behind that curtain without pants, alerting all of Stars Hollow to what she'd done the night before and starting a new chapter in her life. Of course it had been embarrassing, but she didn't mind that people knew. She'd spent enough years denying how she'd felt about the man currently rushing a plate of hot scrambled eggs over to Bootsie. Let people talk about them. She had nothing to hide.

She grinned to herself. Yesterday morning she'd barely hid anything at all.

Her smile faded as Luke held up a finger to her as he grabbed the coffeepot to refill the table by the window. "Be right back," he promised, hurrying away from her.

She watched him rush away, feeling grumpy. This week was going to be a challenge. Caesar had the week off to go visit his sister in San Antonio and that meant Luke was going to have to fill in, leaving him with very little time to see her, the girl he'd been pining over for eight long years. Starting tomorrow the Dragonfly was booked solid, which meant she was going to be running herself ragged, putting out the fires associated with any new venture. Plus her daughter had returned and would need some Mommy time. All-in-all, their new lover glow was going to have to sustain them this week. They were going to have to be adult, and mature, and just ignore whatever cravings they may have for each other.

Luke suddenly took his place on the other side of the cash register, all scruffy and blue-eyed and smelling like toast, and she gulped.

No one said it was going to be easy.

He was frowning at her and she loved that he was frowning at her. His frown was amazing.

He leaned his head towards her and she leaned towards him.

"I don't want you paying," he complained. Not exactly the sweet words of love she'd been craving.

"You can't feed me for free all the time," she disputed. "Upstairs, you can give me all the food you want. Down here, I'm a customer, and I pay. Of course, if you want to give me extra cheese on my burgers because I'm your girlfriend ―" She batted her eyelashes outrageously at him, "― that's up to you. But I'm paying." He still looked ill-tempered so she added, softly, "Besides, this way I get to spend a little quality cash register time with you. Otherwise, I might not see you at all this week."

"Fine," he capitulated, not sounding fine at all. He took the bills from her hand, his thumb trailing over her palm for an extra second of contact.

"See ya, Luke," she said, tossing the coins he gave back to her inside her bag. She smiled at him.

"See ya," he repeated, watching her with those deep blue eyes that made her shiver. He didn't smile.

At the door she looked back over her shoulder, but he had already hustled into the kitchen.

* * *

**Monday morning, continued. At the Dragonfly.**

Down on her hands and knees behind the check-in counter, Lorelai reconsidered her desire to be a business owner. She was tired of being the only one who knew where things were. She was tired of being at the top of the chain of command. She was tired of being the one who was expected to have all of the answers.

She moved yet another box of invoices from one pile to another and pushed back her hair. She knew they'd had brochures printed up detailing the marvelous sights to be seen in and around Stars Hollow. She knew that the box had been shoved somewhere down behind the counter during those first hectic days. Where it was now, nobody knew. But she was the boss, and she'd find it. Just like she found everything else that anybody needed.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she heard Michel say, his voice doing that subtle slide into contempt that he did so well. He was supposed to be helping her in the search, but so far all he'd done was to move the pages of the latest Martha Stewart.

There was a faint clanging noise and she stopped. She knew that noise. She peered around the side of the counter and she saw Bert. Long, masculine fingers were curled around Bert's handle. A strong forearm was visible from under a rolled-up flannel shirt sleeve. She popped up and saw the rest of Luke looming over the counter. He glared at her.

"Hi," she said, blushing a little at how breathless she sounded.

"Well, I'm here," he said, as crankily as she'd ever heard him.

"Yes, you are," she agreed perkily, at a complete loss.

He raised Bert slightly and shook him, making the tools jangle inside. "You've been after me to get over here to fix, and I quote, the 'doohickey,' for weeks. So here I am. Show me what's wrong. I don't have all day, because believe it or not, I've got my own business to run!"

Her head reared back and her mouth opened as she prepared to tell him he was crazy, but then his eyes met hers. Her pulse started to throb in her neck and she swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She'd seen his eyes look like that before. On Saturday night, actually. And again on Sunday morning.

"Finally!" she said, playing along and trying to sound miffed. She turned around and swiped the keys to Room 7, practically without looking. "Well, come on!" she said, stalking towards the stairs. "I don't have all day either!"

She was so aware of him, right behind her on the steps. His free hand touched the small of her back and her body all at once seemed to be lacking in muscular structure. Moisture, however, she had in abundance.

Weak-kneed, she struggled up the remaining stairs and reached the door. His hand slid lower, his fingers stretching to cup and squeeze her bottom.

"Luke!" she hissed, panic and arousal fighting inside of her. This was so unlike the Luke she thought she knew that the floor seemed to tilt under her purple summer heels. What if she'd been wrong about him? What if she didn't know him at all?

His face brushed her hair as his mouth came close to her ear. "No one can see," he told her, his voice gruff and low. His hand continued to rub circles on her bottom, making the silky material of her flirty skirt tickle the skin of her thighs. She put her palms flat against the door and leaned into it, forgetting everything else for that moment.

"Lorelai, open the door," he said, his voice now sounding urgent.

"Right. Right," she said. She managed to fit the key into the lock. She had to add her other shaking hand on top of the first to have enough strength to turn it. The door opened and she was propelled inside by the force of the anxious man behind her.

He leaned back against the door to close it. She leaned past him to lock it.

Bert hit the floor.

His mouth was on hers, the kiss instantly deep and intimate, bringing them both back to the connection they'd made for the first time two nights ago in his apartment. One hand held the back of her head before rubbing down across her back and pulling her even closer to him. His other hand found the edge of her skirt and dove underneath, sliding up her thigh to the elastic of her bikini panties, his fingers already skimming under that small barrier.

The shock of his sure fingers already finding her made her gasp against his mouth. He withdrew and brought both hands to her backside, his hands cupping her ass before he lowered them to her thighs. He bent his knees slightly, grasped her tightly, and when he raised himself back up he brought her along. He leaned backwards, letting her feel the whole length of him.

Her feet weren't touching the floor and she kicked off her heels.

"Can we use the bed?" he asked, already moving them towards it.

"It'd make my life easier if we didn't," Lorelai somehow found a way to say even as Luke was sucking on her upper lip.

"I can work with that," Luke muttered, and stopped where they were. He put her on her feet and started opening the buttons on her sky-blue blouse.

Lorelai was paralyzed by her desire. Every single one of her nerve endings was begging her to have sex. She had no motor control left to help him or guide him ― not that he needed guidance. All she could do was to stand and feel and want.

Her blouse was opened and yanked out of her skirt. The front latch of her bra was sprung and her breasts were bare. He took a moment to stare and savor, and she thought she'd die before he finally put a rough thumb over her right nipple, circling over it and making it even harder than it already was. She closed her eyes and felt more dampness between her legs while he played with her. She heard his breath hitch in his chest. She opened her eyes back up just as his hand reached for her left breast and his mouth attached to her right.

He sucked her hard, taking out his desire on her nipple. She leaned her head back, lost in the sensation, and his hand was there, cradling her head, supporting her so that he could feast on her. He shifted his thigh, bringing it between her legs, and she rubbed herself against it gratefully, desperate to ease the need inside of her.

Suddenly he was no longer touching her and when she looked to see why, he was pulling off his own clothes. The green-plaid shirt was already on the floor and his head was emerging as he pulled off his t-shirt. He toed off his shoes as he reached for the button on his jeans. She could barely breathe as she watched his hands carefully pull down the zipper over the straining front of his briefs. The tip of him was just visible, growing out from under the gray band where it had been trapped.

The sight gave her the strength to move again. She stepped forward and wrapped her hand around him even as he bent to shove his clothing down over his legs. She couldn't wait to feel him throbbing in her hand again. He stilled, his chest heaving, as she rubbed her fingers over and around his length.

"We'll have to be quick," she murmured, completely mesmerized by the feel of him.

"Trust me, that won't be a problem." He nudged her hand away and sat down on the authentic-looking rag rug she'd found from a supplier in Chicago, his legs stretched out straight in front of him; his erection stretched out as well, quivering for her.

She stepped closer and he raised his arms, attacking the closure on her skirt. Her skirt and panties were dragged down her legs. She made to step out of them, but suddenly his hand was stilling her hip, the thumb from his other hand was pushing through her curls and she held her breath until he traced over her lips and then through her lips and then finally, finally, he touched her clit and rubbed her and she thought she'd explode, right there and then.

But he had other things in mind.

He pulled her towards him as he laid back. She lowered herself down, putting her knees on either side of his waist. She rubbed herself up and down his hardness, letting him feel just how wet he'd made her. He bit his lip but a groan slipped out.

She forced both of them to wait while she slowly used her folds to get him into position. Then, finally, she allowed him to enter her, grasping his shoulders as she worked him all the way in.

She put her hands against his chest and he clutched her waist as they both tried to gather some control. They were both breathing hard. She could feel him pulsing inside of her and she contracted around him in answer.

"Oh, god." He pulled her down against him; wrapped his arms around her as he held her there against his chest. "This is what I've wanted." She heard and felt him swallow and one arm moved down her back, rubbing her spine, caressing her bottom. "All morning long. As soon as I saw you this morning, this was all I could think about. All I could think about was how much I wanted you again." His kisses against the side of her face were frantic. "All I wanted was to be inside you."

His words added more fuel to her need. She pushed herself upright and rocked back and forth experimentally. She was already right on the edge. She didn't think she could deny herself for long. She ran her hands over his chest, down to his belly button. Her thumbs massaged the area where his dark hair disappeared under her skin. She tightened further, leaning over him as she moved herself up and down his length.

She choked back a cry as the pleasure hit her all at once. Her whole body tensed and then quivered as the fiery delight tore through her. She could tell that Luke tried to give her time to savor it, but he needed release, too. His feet went flat to the floor as his knees rose behind her. His head arched off the rug as he held her hips to him and thrust up into her. He held her tightly against him as he filled her, his breath pouring out of him in long, shuddering gasps.

When at last she was sure he was done, she laid down again against his chest, snuggling there as he wrapped his arms around her. She kissed his jaw and his neck, waiting for her heart to slow down to a normal rhythm again.

She blinked and looked around her as she came back to earth. They were indeed on the floor of one of her rooms at the Dragonfly. Luke ― _Luke!_ ― had just basically forced her upstairs in her place of business and had had his way with her. Her blouse and bra were still hanging open over her chest. Their clothes and shoes lay scattered all over the floor. Her gaze landed on Bert, abandoned by the door, having played his part in the ruse.

"I can't believe you did this!" She made her voice stay in a whisper, as she lightly smacked his nicely-toned bicep. "You, of all people!"

He looked at her lazily, sated. "It'd better be me doing this," he reminded her.

"No, I mean …" She shook her head, trying to explain. "You! _Luke!_ Doing this!" She waved her hand towards their discarded clothing.

She felt the chuckle rumble through him, and he pulled her into a hug. "Eight years, Lorelai. For eight years, every single time I looked at you, I've wanted to do this. Now that I can, I'm not wastin' it."

She struggled up a few inches, just enough to see his face. "Really?" she asked, skeptically. "For eight years, no matter how annoying I was, you wanted to do this?"

He opened his mouth, but then stopped, and she could tell just by the look in his eyes that that was the truth. He shifted his gaze and took a breath, but then his eyes came back to look straight into hers. "Eight years," he said again. "Every time." His voice was incredibly tender.

"Oh." Air rushed out of her and feelings rushed into her, and one of those feelings she strongly wanted to identify as 'love,' but that seemed dangerous and risky and way too soon, so she settled for happiness and pride and feeling really, really good. "Well, I've only wanted to do this to you for six years, so I guess you do win in the self-control department."

He laughed again and they kissed, and then a moment later he sighed.

"I'd better go," he grumbled. "I left Lane in charge and told 'em to only sell things off the menu that they didn't need to cook."

"Yeah." Lorelai snuggled against him for one more moment. "I'd better get back downstairs before Michel launches a search party."

Luke's face creased in a wide grin.

"What?" she asked, smiling herself.

"Just picturing Michel's face if he'd open the door right now."

Lorelai giggled. "And tripped over Bert."

Luke lightly rubbed her bottom. "There's probably all sorts of French words to describe what we just did."

"Yeah, but I don't want to hear them come out of his mouth." It took all of her willpower to disengage from him and get to her feet. "Come on, big boy, let's get cleaned up."

She walked over to the double sinks positioned beside the bathroom. She glanced into the mirror and saw that Luke was still flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Smiling, she grabbed a washcloth and opened the small bar of soap. The water ran into the sink, and once it was warm enough, she wet the cloth and rubbed the soap over it, working up a lather. Her mind started to drift to the dozen or so odd tasks that awaited her downstairs.

When Luke spoke from directly behind her, it startled her. "I'll do that," he said, and his voice had once again pitched into that low growl of desire.

Her pulse raced into overdrive. He took the washcloth from her and turned her around, leaning her against the edge of the counter. He dropped to his knees and parted her legs further, wiping the soapy terry cloth over and through her curls. He washed her thoroughly, not missing a spot, and when he reached her clit she bit down on her bottom lip hard, her fingers clinging to the quaint tile counter, trying to hang on to her senses.

He reached past her and rinsed out the cloth, and then brought it back to her again, wiping away the soap with the warm cloth. She thought she was going to go out of her mind. She heard herself whimpering.

"Feel good?" he asked, his voice sounding like it was stretched to the breaking point.

She nodded, barely.

"Good," he growled again, centering the rubbing on her clit. The terry cloth was expensive, the best they could afford, but even that velvety softness felt rough on her sensitive nub. The best type of rough. She found herself undulating against it.

He urged her up on the counter, keeping the cloth moving against her. He stepped between her legs, opening her further, and looking down she saw that he was completely hard again. He pushed into her, the terry cloth still teasing her clit.

She couldn't stand it. She truly couldn't stand it. One more second and she'd lose her mind. She threw her arms around his strong shoulders and leveraged herself up, and then she rubbed herself against him; against the cloth, against his fingers, against his hard cock. She moved against him until she came again, explosively, not caring if she muffled her cries this time.

He took the cloth away and held her to him, rubbing his hands over her back as she calmed. She finally took a big breath and looked at him, and he attacked her mouth, kissing her with an uncontrolled passion that let her know he was not yet satisfied.

She made a noise of protest as he pulled out of her and he chuckled, breathlessly. She went breathless herself when she saw how huge his cock had gotten inside of her, and how slick it was from being in her.

He turned her around and braced her hands on the counter. He kneaded her bottom while his cock rubbed between her legs. The next moment he was buried inside of her again.

She looked into the mirror and saw that he was watching himself push in and out of her, his tongue wedged between the corner of his lips. He caught her glance in the mirror and turned them slightly sideways, allowing her to see too.

She wanted him to feel as good as she had. She pushed back against him as hard as she could, tightening herself around him. With a groan he grabbed her hips and thrust himself against her, over and over, until his head jerked back and he exploded into her.

After a few moments he turned her around and held her to him, putting out one hand to the counter to help keep them upright.

"Wow," Lorelai murmured against his chest. "That was … That was …"

"Yeah," Luke agreed, his eyes still closed tight as he swayed against her.

"We need … We can't …" Lorelai gave her head a shake and tried again. "As great as this was, we need to get out of here."

"I know," Luke agreed. He let her go and reached for a washcloth of his own. "And just so you know, that's what you do to me."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lorelai said, trying to quickly get put back together in spite of shaking hands and wobbly legs.

As soon as they were dressed, Lorelai grabbed the used towels and the soap and laid them outside the door. She locked the door behind them and put the key in her pocket.

"Is this going to be OK?"' Luke asked, his shoulder indicating the door, the towels, everything. For the first time he sounded worried.

"It'll be fine," she assured him, patting his incredibly wonderful arm. "If anyone even asks ― and they won't ― I'll just say you needed to wash your hands after you fixed the doohickey. A little later I'll come back up here and make sure everything's ready to go in there. No one will ever know."

"OK," he said, but he still looked doubtful.

"Hey," Lorelai said, as they reached the stairs. "Maybe 'doohickey' should be like a code word for us!"

Luke snorted and she smiled. Just as her foot touched the top step, he pulled her back.

Very softly and carefully, he leaned down and kissed her mouth. "When I die," he whispered into her ear, "I'm gonna die with a smile on my lips. And the reason for the smile will be because I died remembering what we just did in there."

"Mmm," she sighed, melting into him. "Doohickey," she whispered into his ear.

"Stop that," he ordered, scowling, but she could tell there was a smile just on the other side of the scowl.

They straightened up and kept a careful distance between them as they entered the lobby. Michel glanced up, uninterested.

"I'll send you my bill," Luke said curtly, striding towards the door.

"Maybe we could barter something!" Lorelai called out.

Luke paused and turned back, glaring.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" she added, waving her arm gaily.

He allowed himself one knowing smile before he walked out the door.

Lorelai took a deep breath and tried to settle all of the quivers still chasing through her body.

"So did you find the brochures?" she asked Michel.

"No," he said, still leafing through the magazine. "I think that Tobin has probably hidden them. He is devious like that, you know."

Lorelai sighed and headed for the kitchen. Coffee would help to calm her down.

Sookie whirled around as soon as Lorelai came through the door. "Man, you look happy!" she observed. She smiled, her dimples showing in her cheeks. "Did you do something slutty?" she asked, teasing.

"Nope. Not me!" Lorelai said. She hoisted herself onto the counter and helped herself to a piece of the dark chocolate that Sookie was chopping.

"Then what's got you all lit up?" Sookie asked suspiciously. She waved her knife at Lorelai. "You're practically glowing!"

Lorelai swung her legs back and forth and chomped happily on the chocolate. "Oh, you know me," she told Sookie, a carefree lilt in her voice, "I just like Mondays!"

**TBC … Next up: Tuesday!**


	2. Tuesday

**Tuesday. 10:35 A.M. Doose's Market.**

Lorelai paused in front of the breakfast cereal. It wasn't what she'd come in for, but there was something about the box of corn flakes with the freeze-dried bits of strawberries in it that just seemed off-kilter enough to intrigue her. While she would never be one to sprinkle fruit on top of her Cap'n Crunch, she admired the marketing genius who thought to pulverize and desiccate real strawberries, cover them with corn syrup, and then toss them into a box so they could promote them to the healthy-eating crowd. That was a pretty smart move.

She picked up a box and seriously regarded the happy woman on the front. Maybe she should try them.

The cereal went into her basket. She moved halfway down the aisle and pondered the selection of Pop Tarts. That was an easy decision. Cherry _and_ s'mores.

Next she headed towards one of the refrigerated cases along the side. She needed orange juice.

Her smile broke out as soon as she registered the blue baseball cap right in front of the eggs.

"Hey, there," she said, doing the best flirty-bimbo voice she could. She lightly bumped her hip into his. "You come here often?" she cooed to him.

Luke only gave her a sideways glance, but she could see a smile that matched her own was on his lips. "Not if I can help it," he replied. He gave her another swift glance. "What brings you here?"

She gave her basket a shake. "Just getting some supplies on my way home. I'm supposed to be resting up for my second shift job tonight."

"Oh, that's right. You're covering for Tobin," he remembered.

"Yep." She sighed, trying to sound put-upon. "I don't know what's the deal with help nowadays. They think they need a night off just because Granny's turning 85. What's next? Paid sick days? Vacation?"

"You gotta watch 'em," Luke advised. "Otherwise they'll take advantage of you."

"This from the man who let Lane off last night just so she could go to a movie with Rory."

"I figured Rory needed her company after being gone for so long. Besides, Lane's a good kid." He checked another carton of eggs and put it in his basket, his lips still home to that smile.

"Uh-huh," Lorelai said, skeptically. "So what are you doing here?"

He held out his basket and shrugged. "Just needed a few things. Don't tell Caesar, but him being gone sort of put a kink in our supply chain. I'm used to him letting me know when we're getting low on perishable stuff."

"Your secret's safe with me." She took a step away and reached into the case, snagging a jug of orange juice.

"What are you doing?" Luke sounded appalled.

"Getting orange juice," she said, putting it into her basket.

"That is not orange juice!" Luke huffed.

She rolled her eyes. "Huh. Well, it's orange and it's juicy. Sounds like it meets the criteria to me."

He tapped his finger disdainfully against the plastic bottle. "The fact that the word 'punch' is on the label and 'juice' is omitted might give you a clue."

"I like this stuff," she argued.

He shook his head and grabbed a clear glass bottle of juice from the case. "This is what you need." He ran his finger over the banner proclaiming _'100% pure Florida orange juice!'_ "See? They're not trying to disguise what this is." He put it in her basket and removed the fruit punch.

"Hey!" she complained. Then she saw the price on the pure orange juice. "Oh, my God! You're trying to bankrupt me!"

"No, I'm not," he disputed. He paused and leaned a little closer to her. His voice slipped into a tone more suited for the bedroom. "Maybe I just want to keep you healthy."

"Oh?" she commented, quirking her eyebrow. It was a totally innocent comment. She didn't know why her heart was beating so much faster.

His mouth took on the smile he'd had as he left the Dragonfly yesterday. "Definitely want you healthy."

"Healthy's good," she conceded, and then he looked at her straight on with that smoldering sexy-eyed look that let her know he hadn't forgotten one thing about yesterday and her insides turned into something hot and sticky. Like caramel sauce. Did Luke like caramel sauce? If he did, would he want to lick it off of her?

Suddenly he reached out and grabbed her basket before it could hit the floor. "You OK?" he questioned. "You got kind of spacey there."

"I'm fine," she gulped. She pushed back her hair distractedly. "I'm just fine."

Luke grinned. "You get no argument from me about that," he said lightly, but he paired the comment with another knowing look, and she wondered what Taylor would do if she jumped Luke right here in the dairy aisle. Wouldn't it be worth it to find out?

Apparently her mind was still wandering all over the land of sexual fantasy because she suddenly realized Luke was talking and she hadn't heard a word. "I'm sorry, I guess I am spacey. What did you say?"

The teasing and the hotness had dissipated. He looked concerned. "Are you sure you'll be OK tonight?"

"At the Dragonfly?"

He nodded, very seriously.

She smiled, still flirty. "Why? You wanna come over and protect me?" She sidled up against him; dropped her voice. "Room 7 is booked tonight, I'm afraid."

"No, I didn't mean..."He shook his head. "I know you worked overnight sometimes at the old Independence Inn, but that was a bigger place and you had more staff around. You'll be alone there tonight, won't you?"

"That's why we put in that state-of-the-art security system," she said nonchalantly, trying to sound reassuring. "That's why we spent the big bucks and didn't use Kirk to install it."

He nodded, but the worry lines were still clustered around his eyes. "You know, right?" His free hand softly rubbed her arm, right above her elbow. "You know you can call me anytime, if something doesn't seem right. I could be there in no time at all."

She wanted to make another carefree, flirty comment, but she couldn't. This time it wasn't sexy smooth caramel sauce clogging up her throat. It was something tender and sweet. She swallowed hard, trying to clear it out of the way and stop herself from completely melting into him.

"I'll be fine," she managed to get out. "But thanks." She couldn't take her eyes off of his adorable face.

He dipped his head, apparently starting to be embarrassed by her stare. "Well, I'd better finish up here."

She gave herself a shake. "And I'd better be getting home."

His hand reached over and pushed a straightened strand of her hair back behind her ear. She stopped breathing, anticipating the kiss she wanted so badly. He started to lean towards her, but then ― Damn it! ― became aware of where they were.

"See ya, Lorelai," he muttered, sounding as disappointed as she felt.

"See ya, Luke," she said morosely, and took her expensive bottle of orange juice over to the checkout counter.

* * *

**Tuesday. A few minutes later. In the Jeep.**

She sat her groceries on the passenger seat in her car, but she didn't start the motor. Instead she let her eyes wander aimlessly down the street, watching the citizens of Stars Hollow go about their business, while her mind stayed with the hot business owner she'd just left in Doose's.

_This is the way it always is,_ she tried to convince herself, her brain suddenly remembering Sookie and Jackson and the talk she and Luke had had the night of that first date. _You know that the start of every new relationship feels like this. You can't wait to be with each other. Sex has never been this good. No one's ever understood you this way. Give it a week or two, and this junkie-craving-his-next-fix syndrome will go away_, she chastised herself.

But she knew she was lying. It had never felt like this to her before. And it wasn't just the toe-curling sex.

She thought again of his genuine concern about her safety. Had anyone ever cared about her like that before?

Her body jerked as she saw him exit the grocery store. She watched his muscular legs, sadly hidden by the denim covering them, start to eat up the distance between the grocery store and the diner. His strong arms balanced the sacks of groceries as though they were weightless.

_Just the way he made me feel yesterday,_ she thought, her head momentarily dizzy from recalling how they'd looked in the mirror.

Her head was still swimming when she jumped out of the Jeep and sprinted to reach him.

"Hey." She was trying very hard not to pant.

He frowned that amazing frown at her again. "Don't you need to get home?"

"I've got a little time." She reached over and tried to tug one of the sacks away from him. "Thought I'd help you carry your groceries."

"Do I look like I need help?" He refused to let go.

"Yes, you do," she said, drenching her voice with sincerity. "You look like you need all kinds of help."

His teeth caught his bottom lip before a chuckle could come out. "Sure," he said, lightly. "I guess a guy can always use help." He gradually released the weight of the sack into her arms.

It was a lot heavier than she expected and she staggered for a step or two. "Here," she said generously, giving it back to him. "I know you like to prove how manly and strong you are in front of me."

This time he didn't try to stop the chuckle. They crossed the street and came to a stop in front of the diner's door.

Luke looked at her sternly. "Can I trust you to get the key out of my pocket?"

The images that comment created made the dizziness swirl about her head again. "Depends on which pocket," she managed to choke out.

"Shirt," he said, motioning with his chin.

She put a hand flat against his chest, bracing herself as she pushed the fingers of her other hand into his pocket to retrieve the key. She copped a good feel of his warm, solid chest under the ever-present t-shirt. She smiled up at him, exceptionally pleased with herself.

"Open the door, Lorelai," he requested with some impatience, and then they both froze as his words took them back to yesterday at the Dragonfly, with Bert and the rag rug and that incredible washcloth.

They stared at each other with absolute awareness.

"Right," she said softly, breathing hard, and turned to the door.

"You're closed?" she asked, when they stepped inside. The diner seemed dim and cool after the summer brightness outside.

Luke started towards the kitchen with the groceries. "I was the only one working. Lane doesn't come in until 11:30 to help with lunch, and there were no customers. I figured I might as well go get the supplies we needed."

Without even thinking about it, Lorelai flipped the lock on the door before she followed Luke back into the kitchen. Now that she was his girlfriend, she wondered if she'd actually be allowed admittance. Grinning, she stepped across the threshold.

He was putting the eggs and butter and the other items he'd purchased into the old enameled refrigerator and didn't seem to notice her daring into his space. She watched with great appreciation while he bent over to put some carrots into the vegetable bin.

"You'd better never let Patty come back here and see that," she warned him.

"Little chance of that. You're not even supposed to be back here," he reminded her, but there was no threat in his voice. He pivoted to the sink and started running water.

She came over behind him, her blood pounding everywhere in her body. She pressed the fronts of her thighs tight against the backs of his.

"Anything I can do to help?" she murmured, her arms draping low around him.

"Lorelai," he warned, his voice strained.

"What?" she whispered. She brought her hands to his back, snaking under his flannel shirt, over his tight tee. She could feel the heat trapped under the fabric; the slight dampness wicking up from his skin. She wondered if the heat was only from the short walk in the late July sunshine, or if she'd had something to do with his rise in body temperature. She grabbed the tee with both of her hands and yanked, pulling the material free of his jeans. Her hands greedily explored every inch of his back, rubbing and pressing and lightly scratching with her nails.

"Lorelai," he croaked out again.

She pressed herself closer against him and ran her hands to his chest. She trailed her thumbs to his nipples, rubbing over them until they beaded for her. She ran her hands over his flat stomach, feeling his shudder in her own center as she let her fingers slowly work their way under his waistband.

"What?" she asked again, breathing the word out. She leaned around him and turned off the water, letting her body rub against his backside.

He didn't say anything else. He seemed to be concentrating on his breathing.

She took a small step back, pulling his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms as she went. As soon as it hit the floor she attacked the t-shirt, dragging it up and over his head, taking the hat off with it.

Again she caressed his gloriously bare back, all the way from his shoulders down to his waist. Not satisfied, she reached in front, closing her eyes as she let her sense of touch map out his chest. Still not satisfied, she leaned her upper body back away from him and in one movement whipped off her own pale pink t-shirt. It was screenprinted with lotus flowers and Japanese characters, and this morning she'd thought it was so cute when she put it on. Now it was just a hindrance. As was her bra.

Bare from the waist up, she pressed her hardened nipples against his back, rubbing them back and forth while she ran her hand lower on him.

He groaned, and she brought both hands to his firm ass and squeezed harder, then teased him by running her finger over the seam in his jeans. She followed the seam up to his waist, and then traced it down, applying pressure between his ass and in-between his legs.

"Lorelai," he said, almost begging.

She'd never felt so wanton. She'd never felt so turned on. She'd never felt so sexy. Powerful. Wanted.

Her hands went around him again and started working on his belt buckle. She heard him draw in a desperate gasp of air and she felt the same way. She couldn't breathe because of how much she wanted him.

She had his belt open. She grasped the waistband of his jeans and pulled it out slightly, giving her room to work on his zipper. The sound it made as she tugged it down was better than anything she'd ever heard Bono sing.

She slid her hands under the elastic at his waist and kept going, forcing the jeans and underwear down his legs. She felt his erection spring free, and she winced, hoping that hadn't hurt. She ignored it for now, massaging his tense thighs instead, then going to the back for another helping of his ass. She squeezed and rubbed and explored until they were both shaking with need.

She kissed his back, between his shoulder blades, over and over again.

Finally she pressed against him again and let her hands come together around his magnificently stiff cock. She laced her fingers around him and squeezed, gently, but hard enough to make him quiver. She ran a thumb over his tip, luxuriating over the velvety-softness of it, making her mouth water. She flattened the wiry dark curls at his base, wanting to feel every last inch of him.

His hands stilled hers. "Stop," he said, urgently. "I can't…I can't, Lorelai. You've got to let me ―"

She grabbed a kitchen chair from the work table and turned it around, pushing him to sit down in it, his clothing tangled around his boots. She stepped back, her gaze alternating between his throbbing erection and his agonized, beautiful face that was silently pleading for her to end his misery. Dry-mouthed, she swallowed, and fumbled for the button on her pants.

His dark blue eyes went wide and his mouth opened in awe. She felt completely in control and oh-so-sexy. She reveled in it. Slowly she took another step back, making sure he had the perfect view as she slowly unzipped her pants. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband and rocked her hips from one side to the other as she peeled the tight pants down her legs. Once she had them off, she took her time standing upright again. Her thumb ran over the dampness on the front of her panties as she tossed her hair, watching him watch her.

"You are _so_ bad," he whispered. She thought she caught a hint of admiration.

"You love me bad," she said, boldly, skimming off the panties.

"I do," he agreed curtly, in no mood to argue. "Now come here." He held out his arms, his fingers grasping for her. She zeroed in on the watch still strapped to his otherwise bare arm, and for some reason it pushed her level of arousal even higher.

She sauntered over, trying to be cool and sexy, even though the blood was beating in her ears. She separated her legs so that she could climb over him seated on the chair. His hands instantly wound around her, pressing her against his chest, pressing his hardness against her warm, aching softness.

He dipped his head to capture a nipple. That left her no choice but to rub herself against him.

Luke stopped suckling her and reached for her face, bringing her down to meet him in a soul-connecting kiss.

Eventually she managed to find the strength to tear herself away from his mouth. She swallowed a shaky breath. "I think there's something we need to do now," she informed him, pushing up on her feet.

She hovered over him for a few nearly unbearable moments, letting his tip caress her. Then they both moaned in relief as she lowered herself, letting him slide inside her.

His hands never stopped moving over her. They smoothed over her back, squeezed her bottom, teased her nipples. "You feel ―" he started to say, but she rose up and came back down just then, and he clutched her tightly and buried his face in her neck. "You feel incredible," he whispered, his voice tight with emotion.

"So do you," she whispered back, winding her hips.

That proved to be the winning move. He groaned and held her talented hips solidly to him, finally allowing himself to thrust up into her until he found the ultimate pleasure. She held him to her, rubbing his back and letting him take all of the comfort she could provide.

"So good," he murmured, finally raising his head. He kissed all along her jaw and chin. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest. "So, so good."

She got her mouth on his ear and traced it with her tongue. He tugged at her so that he could kiss her again.

Then, "Lean back," he urged her.

She put her arms behind her, resting her elbows right above his knees. The position exposed her to him completely. He drew in a sharp breath and put his thumb on her clit, first with a teasing touch and then with just the right amount of firmness.

Lorelai had a moment of shyness and awareness spilled over her, making her worry that she wouldn't be able to come with him watching her so closely. But then his fingers smoothed over her most sensitive spot, using their wetness to the best advantage. It made her breath hitch in her chest with need, and she ground herself against the firmness that was still inside of her.

"That's it," he breathed out as she tightened around him, unintelligible noises starting to whimper out of her. "Just like that."

Her orgasm slammed through her at his words and she flung herself against his chest, letting him hold her steady while she rocked back and forth with bliss. He held her for a long, long time, until her lungs finally had enough oxygen to allow her to speak again.

"We are _so_ good at that," she stated, her voice a little shaky. She kissed him again because, well, she just couldn't help it.

She looped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled against his neck, sighing with contentment. "Do you remember that night Sookie and Jackson went on their first date, and we ended up in the diner with you?"

He continued to pet the back of her head, but she sensed the rest of him going perfectly still. "Sure, I remember," he said with a bit of hesitation.

"We talked about how great a new relationship was, remember? About how every touch feels fantastic; every joke is hilarious." She leaned her head back, wanting to see his face. "I said I wanted that, and you said I'd have it again. Do you remember?"

He studied her just as seriously as she was watching him, but with curiosity as well. "I remember."

She gently scratched her fingers through his hair, her eyes darting over his face. "That's what this is, right? That's why we can't keep our hands off each other, right? Because we're in that new relationship period?"

His eyes veered over to the sink and his hands supported her as lightly as possible. "What answer will freak you out the least?"

A little tremor moved through her jaw. "I'm not going to freak out," she said, but her voice sounded wimpy.

He brought his focus back to her. Sighed. "I think there's a lot more going on here than just being caught up in the shininess of a new relationship."

She had to take a deep breath. She pressed the side of her face against his. "I do too," she whispered into his ear. "And that doesn't scare me," she added, trying to sound brave.

Luke's arms once again squeezed her tightly for a few moments. "Do you know what I would like, though?" he asked, breaking their thoughtful silence.

"What?"

"I'd love to do this in a bed again sometime." He grasped her arms, helping her up off of him.

She giggled as she moved away. "Not a fan of the impromptu lovemaking?"

He smirked as he pulled up his pants. "I'm a fan of any kind of lovemaking. I'd just like to have a whole night with you. Take it a little slower."

Yearning caught in her throat and she abandoned her attempts to fasten her bra, stepping over to give him a kiss. "Once this week is over, we'll see if we can't make that happen on a regular basis."

It looked like he swallowed kind of hard. He nodded and grabbed for his t-shirt. She watched intently as he raised his arms and pulled the shirt over his head.

"What?" he asked gruffly, tugging the white cotton down over his stomach and tucking it inside his jeans.

"Just admiring what a pretty boy you are," she cooed, getting her own shirt on.

He shook his head as he fastened his belt. "I could point out that I'm not a boy and that guys aren't pretty, but I guess I'll just be glad you think so." He leaned over to give her a quick kiss.

Lorelai was fluffing her hair and Luke was surveying the state of his kitchen when they heard a noise from out front.

"What's that?" Lorelai asked, frozen to the spot.

Luke glanced at his watch. "Lane," he groaned, the color leaving his face.

"Lane?" Lorelai was horrified. "She has a _key?_" she hissed.

Luke gave a fast nod, already jumping into action to put things right. "Can you go stall her? Make sure she doesn't come back here yet!"

With no plan, Lorelai launched herself out of the kitchen. She snatched a coffee mug and catapulted onto a stool. She hoped Lane wouldn't notice that her feet hooked over the rung of the stool were bare and that the mug was empty.

Lane opened the door, the bright sunshine outside temporarily obscuring the details of the quiet, darkened diner. She flipped the sign on the door to 'Open' and flicked on the lights.

"Well, look who's Miss Almighty and Powerful, with her own key and all," Lorelai drawled.

Lane jumped and gasped. "Lorelai! You scared me to death! What are you doing here? Why's the diner closed?"

"Luke said there weren't any customers and he closed long enough to run some errands. I'm keeping him company," she said casually, cradling the empty mug in her hands.

Lane was efficient at getting ready to work. She grabbed an apron and threaded the ties around her waist. "So things are pretty good with you two, huh?" she asked with a slight grin, lowering her voice to a conspirator level.

Lorelai felt a blush spreading up across her chest as she thought about just _how_ good things were. "Yeah, they are," she confirmed, dipping her head down to hide the satisfied smile on her face. She loved the dark-haired girl in front of her like a second daughter, but that was more than what she wanted Lane to know.

Luke nodded at Lane when he stepped out of the kitchen. She saw he had her shoes, concealed under the right side of his shirt, when he came around the counter. He dropped them in her lap as he grabbed the mug away from her.

"No more coffee," he said sternly. "She's cut off," he told Lane. He turned back to glare at Lorelai. "I don't care what you say, you need to go home and rest, and coffee's not going to help you do that."

"You're right, you're right," she mumbled agreeably. As Lane bustled around, taking stock of the supplies behind the counter, she quickly slipped on her heels and then slid down off the stool. "In fact, I'd better be getting home."

Luke walked her to the door. They stepped back to allow a group of three perfectly-coiffed ladies to enter, all of them excitedly chattering about antiques they'd seen at Mrs. Kim's.

"Have a seat anywhere," Luke greeted them. "We'll be with you in just a moment."

"I'm going to go put _my_ groceries away now," Lorelai said, her hand on the door. "You wanna come over and help me with that?" she teased.

Luke grinned. "Better not." He traced under her bottom lip with his thumb. "You'd better go home and drink your orange juice," he warned her, and then he kissed her on the mouth, gently, but lingering long enough that she knew he didn't want to let her go.

"'Cause you want me healthy," she said, sounding saucy.

"Yep," he agreed. "And I'm serious about tonight. You call me if you need to."

She stared at his shirt hanging open over his tee. "What if I just need _you?_"

"That…" He sighed and leaned a little closer. "That might have to wait."

She pouted prettily and took one more swipe at his chest. "I'll see you later," she told him. "Probably tomorrow sometime." She sighed too and forced herself to move. "Bye, Lane!" she called.

"Bye!" Lane called back, already handing out menus to the ladies.

Lorelai waved to both of them and hurried back to where she'd left the Jeep parked. She wondered if she'd be able to nap at all, or if she'd just toss and turn, thinking about the pretty boy who wanted her to be healthy and safe.

And who apparently wanted _her_ as much as she wanted _him_.

Already she couldn't wait to see him again. Wednesday couldn't come fast enough.

_**Next … Wednesday comes!.**_


	3. Wednesday

**Wednesday. Too damn early. Weston's Bakery.**

Lorelai jumped out of the Jeep and quickly looked both ways before she hustled across the street to Weston's. Only the faintest lightening of the sky to the east gave a hint that dawn was coming. Birds were beginning to chirp madly in the maple trees lining the street. The air was soft and almost chilly. It was hard to believe that the afternoon temperatures would once again soar into the 80's.

Overnight she'd devoured a Stephanie Plum book. Stephanie loved Boston cream doughnuts. Morelli loved looking down Stephanie's shirt as she ate the doughnuts. The long night of reading and trying to stay awake had ignited a powerful desire to taste the chocolate icing and custard filling in reality. And if Joe Morelli wanted to sneak a peek while she ate, well, that was fine with her. Although in _her_ mind, the Italian Morelli was sporting the clearest, most beautiful blue eyes and a backwards baseball cap.

When Julio had shown up to start his workday in the Dragonfly's kitchen a few minutes ago, she'd cajoled him into listening for the front desk phone just long enough for her to run out to Weston's and satisfy her doughnut craving. He'd promised to call her cell if any sort of emergency developed that needed her immediate attention. She crossed her fingers that she'd be able to down a couple of doughnuts and gulp some coffee before heading back, and that no one would be the wiser about her little sugary errand.

It was safe to say she'd never been in Weston's so early. She was flabbergasted at how many people were milling about. Most seemed to be leaving with multiple boxes piled high in their arms. She soon realized that the customers were other restaurant owners, coming in to get their pastry orders for the day. Weston's had built up quite a reputation in all of the surrounding towns.

Finally it was her turn.

"Lorelai!" Phyllis exclaimed, shocked to see her. "What in the world are you doing here at this hour?"

Lorelai grinned at the gray-haired woman who'd been so kind to her and Rory through the years and was now in charge of the bakery after Fran's death. "Thanks to a Stephanie Plum book, I have a powerful hankering for some Boston cream doughnuts. You know, they should really put a warning on the front of those books. I'm hungry for Tastykakes and fried chicken the whole time I'm reading one of 'em."

She could tell that Phyllis didn't really know what she was talking about, but the baker gamely carried on anyway, used to Lorelai's chatter. "Sorry, but Luke just cleaned us out of those. Do you want anything else? The bear claws are really good today."

"Luke?" She turned and spotted him down at the far end of the counter. He was busy piling up about a half-dozen boxes and didn't see her. "Thanks, Phyllis. I'll see if I can't persuade him to share those with me!" she said, winking as she moved away to confront him.

She was able to get in his path just as he was turning to leave.

"Are you OK?" he shot out as he spied her, before she could say a word.

"I'm fine," she reassured him.

"Then what are you doing here?" he demanded, still worried.

"Where there are doughnuts, there is Lorelai," she intoned dramatically. She gave him her best smile as she pointed to his towering boxes of deep-fried goodness. "You're going to share those, right?"

"With my paying customers at the diner? Absolutely." He started for the door.

"Luke!" She trotted to keep up with him. "I really want a Boston cream doughnut and Phyllis said you took them all."

He jerked his chin towards the door and she opened it for him. "Well, come to the diner and I'll serve you one."

"I can't," she said, starting to be annoyed. "I've got to get back to the Dragonfly. I just ran out long enough for a doughnut break."

"Then I can't help you," he said, striding towards the truck.

She stopped in her tracks, watching as he kept moving away from her purposefully. She couldn't believe he was denying her doughnut fix. After yesterday! After Monday at the Dragonfly! After Saturday night and the pants-less next morning! It was like she had no effect on him at all! How was this possible?

He'd reached the truck and he looked back at her. "A little help?" he asked shortly, dipping his head at the door.

She stalked over and yanked open the door. "You're seriously not going to give me a doughnut?"

He carefully placed the boxes against the back of the passenger seat. He shut the door and turned to look at her, wiping his hands on his jeans. "They've got dozens of doughnuts right inside there for you to choose from."

"But I read Stephanie Plum! I want a Boston cream!" she whined, louder than she'd intended.

His eyebrows quirked upwards. "That's supposed to mean something to me?"

"No," she said peevishly. "Stephanie's the main character in this series of books. She's a bounty hunter, and she eats a lot ― kinda like me ― and in the books she's almost always stopping at a bakery and grabbing a dozen doughnuts. In fact, she used to work in a bakery as a teenager, and that's where Joe ― one of the guys in her life ― had more than doughnuts with her back behind the counter, if you know what I mean. He calls her Cupcake."

Luke snorted.

"It's cute!" she fumed. "Anyway, she and Joe have this on-again, off-again sort of relationship, and there's this other hot guy, Ranger, who wants her …" Lorelai could tell she was losing Luke completely. "Here's the thing. I read the latest book last night, trying to stay awake, and she ate the Boston cream doughnut, sexy Morelli looked down her shirt, and now I want a doughnut! Why is that so hard to accept?"

"He looked down her shirt?" Luke questioned, sounding more interested.

"It's a thing they do!" she snapped. "It's a bit! It's cute!"

"If you say so," he shrugged.

She took a step closer to him and folded her arms across her chest in an 'I mean business' sort of way. "So are you giving me the doughnut or not?"

"I just don't have time!" He gestured at the ever-growing blueness of the sky. "I have no idea in which of those boxes the Boston creams are, and I don't want to stand here in the street and open them all up. If you want a doughnut, come to the diner!"

She blew out a hot breath of irritation, glared at him, and then spun around to start back to where her Jeep was parked. Let him see how receptive she was the next time he showed up to fix her doohickey!

Even as she stomped away, she knew she was lying to herself. She'd melt into his arms the second he came anywhere near her doohickey.

She suddenly heard the heavy footfalls from his boots and his firm hands landed on her shoulders, halting her progress. He turned her around to face him.

"Listen, I'm not trying to make you mad here. I just really need to get back to the diner." He pulled her closer and kissed the center of her forehead. "Just take a minute and follow me over and I'll get you a doughnut, OK?"

"Am I paying for this doughnut?" she grumbled, still put-out. She remembered clearly her insistence on Monday that she pay for her diner food, but for some reason today it seemed important that he give her the food she was craving.

He took a step back to study her, his arms crossing over his chest. His gaze traced over her lips, slid down her neck, and followed the line of her collar down to where the top button was nestled into her cleavage. "I think we could probably barter something," he said very slowly, his eyes finally coming up to meet hers.

Delicious chills of anticipation chased each other up and down her spine as she absorbed the hungry look he was giving out. "Barter?" she asked, her voice coming out all raspy.

Luke seemed to snap out of the spell he'd been under. He cleared his throat and looked over at the truck, his hand going to the back of his head to tug on the bill of his cap. "It was just something you said at the Dragonfly the other day. About bartering. It doesn't matter. Come on." He started towards the pickup again. "Park behind me in the alley."

She stood motionless for a moment or two, watching him move off. Just the few seconds of contact with him had her heart pumping and her body demanding more. In a flash her brain analyzed the pull of duty versus desire.

It was no contest. Desire won.

She dashed to the Jeep, ignoring the scolding chirps of the early morning birds.

* * *

**Wednesday morning. Still too damn early. Luke's Diner.**

By the time she pulled up behind the old green pickup truck, Luke was already using his hip to shut the truck's door, his arms filled with the boxes of doughnuts.

Lorelai hopped out of the Jeep. "Do you need me to get the key?" she asked eagerly as she hurried over to him, her fingers grasping at the air above his shirt.

He smirked at her. "Already open," he revealed.

She gasped in pretend shock as she hurried up the few steps to the back door. "After all the crap you give me about leaving my door unlocked, you do this?" She held the door open for him. "A little hypocritical, wouldn't you say?"

His words carried back to her as he made a beeline to the counter in the diner. "I knew my arms would be full when I got back here. And if any of multitudes of Stars Hollow's criminals are enterprising enough to check the diner's back door during the ten minutes I run to Weston's, I deserve to get robbed."

There was a light on in the kitchen, spilling into the otherwise dark diner. She watched as Luke quickly opened the first three boxes of bakery delights until he located her heart's desire.

"Ah, here we go." He slipped a Boston cream onto a dessert plate. "This is what you wanted, right?"

"Gimme." Lorelai stuck out both arms.

"Not so fast." Luke held the plate out of her reach. "We're bartering, remember?"

In her wildest dreams she never imagined that the serious Luke Danes was hiding such a throw-caution-to-the-wind, playful side. She loved it. It lit her up to know it. It fed right into her own mischievous personality. "What did you have in mind?" she asked, putting her hand on her hip and trying to sound sultry.

Still using one hand to hold up the plate, he took a step closer to her, and his other hand reached out to her face. His index finger stroked over her cheek and followed the line of her neck down to the collar of her white shirt. Her mouth opened involuntarily and her eyes half-closed as he slowly dipped his finger underneath the collar and slid it down to where it buttoned.

The shirt was fastened with ceramic buttons shaped like vegetables. The top one was an eggplant, and Luke's fingers were rubbing over it now.

"I wish you'd eat your vegetables instead of wearing them," he groused

She forced her eyes open and tried to get back into flirt-mode. "I bought it just for you. Thought maybe it'd be a turn-on."

He smiled briefly. It was obvious his mind wasn't on the bantering. "Lorelai, anything you do is a turn-on." His finger moved on to the next button, an ear of corn. "How about I fix you a plate of vegetables to eat before you have the doughnut? I've got a pan full of green beans left over from yesterday's special."

"Yuck. No!" she shuddered. The idea was so revolting she momentarily forgot that finger pressing between her breasts.

"But you want this, right?" he asked, bringing the plate down under her nose, enticingly.

"I want … lots of things," she teased, letting her eyes drift southward on him. "Make me another offer," she urged.

"OK, here's the deal." His voice was low; serious. "You can have the doughnut. But I feed it to you."

A surprised chuckle broke out of her. "What?" That was certainly not anything she'd expected.

He bent his head close to her ear. "I feed it to you. Any way I want." He kissed the spot right behind her ear, where her jaw turned into her neck, and suddenly she could feel her blood pounding under the skin right there.

She stared at him as he pulled back, once again wondering how she'd missed the sexy guy lurking underneath the flannel shirt for all of these years.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked.

"Deal," she agreed, hoping she'd be able to stay coherent during whatever was going to happen next.

He swirled his finger through the chocolate icing. She expected him to lick it off to sort of tease her, but instead he pushed it through her lips and into her waiting mouth. She sucked his finger as he rubbed it against her tongue. Her breathing became languorous as she watched his eyes flicker for a moment and his jaw tense at the sensation.

He took a deep breath and pulled his finger out. He dipped it into the icing again, but this time he rubbed it over her lips, glazing them with the chocolate. Her tongue darted out to lick, but his hand grasped her upper arm, stopping her.

"Nope. This is for me," he told her, and covered her mouth with his. His tongue licked over her lips, cleaning off every taste of the chocolate

"I didn't … I didn't think you liked chocolate," she observed, proud that she was still able to speak. She forced open the eyes that had slid closed in bliss during the kiss. Her tongue probed her upper lip, just to make sure nothing was left there.

"I like the way chocolate tastes on you." His hand brushed over her face again and she closed her eyes, waiting on another kiss. "Come on," he suddenly said, briskly.

Her eyes flew open and she saw that he had moved to her back. His hand was pushing against her, urging her forward. "Where?" she asked, confused.

"Upstairs." He walked towards the curtain, trusting her to follow. "The rest of this you get upstairs."

Her feet stuck to the floor. She felt discombobulated, bewildered, and too disoriented to point out how dirty what he'd just said was. Something very close to panic shot through her when it occurred to her that he'd _wanted_ it to sound dirty.

"Luke …" she began, tentatively. She nervously glanced backwards, towards the street becoming more visible in the first rays of sunlight. Somehow the tables had been turned on her. _She_ was supposed to be the wacky, unconventional one. _She_ was supposed to be the one that turned her back on everything proper. _She_ was the one who was always ready for a good time, no matter how problematic it could turn out to be. Not Luke. Luke was her rock. Luke was her guide for the way things _ought_ to be.

He studied her for a second or two. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then he took in a big breath of air instead. He moved back to her and put his forehead against hers.

"Lorelai, I just …" She felt his forehead move against hers as he shook his head. "I just want to be with you. For just a little bit. I want you upstairs with me, for just a minute or two. I know there's not much time, but...Please? Will you come upstairs with me?"

He pulled his head back and she could look into his eyes, where she saw the same solid Luke who'd protected her and cared for her for so many years. She saw the handsome face that he'd kept hidden behind the whiskers and the gruff words for just as long. This was still her Luke.

Her Luke accompanied by a side of out-of-this-world sexiness she'd never suspected.

"Let's go!" she grinned, and headed for the curtain. Her world was back in place and nothing short of aliens landing and blasting Connecticut to smithereens could keep her from going upstairs.

She pulled open the door to his apartment and went to sit down at the table.

"Nope," Luke said at once. "Stand over there." He motioned beside his bed.

Again she turned to look at him wide-eyed, feeling that same disorientation as she had downstairs. "Just what do you have in mind?" she asked, apprehension and anticipation sending tingles through her middle. A small, warm ember of desire started to lick its way into her center.

"Well, if I'm feeding this to you, I don't want to chance getting any of it on your clothes," Luke said, shrugging. "You need to take off your blouse." He said it as though it was obvious.

Her breath was coming fast and she could feel small shivers of want quivering across her chest. She started to work on her buttons, but the ceramic edges of the vegetables were rough and kept getting caught in the threads of the buttonhole. Or maybe her fingers weren't working too well. She couldn't tell at the moment.

She tilted her head up and gazed at him challengingly as she slid the white cotton top off. "You know, Morelli only looks down Stephanie's shirt."

"Then he's a damn fool," Luke said, his eyes following her every move. When the blouse hit the floor he came close and lifted the pastry to her lips. She kept her eyes locked on his as she took a big bite.

"Good?" he asked, as she chewed. She nodded and swallowed.

"Want more?" His voice was definitely getting huskier.

"I always want more," she dared him, licking her lips.

"Then lose the pants," he stated. "I'd hate for any of that custard filling to drip down onto your nice pants."

She pushed off her shoes, still feeling saucy. She unbuttoned her pants and pulled down the zipper, basking in the way his eyes were glued to her. It wasn't until her fingers were in her waistband, ready to tug them down her legs, that doubts crawled up her spine.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Suddenly she couldn't look at him. She felt the tight, nervous smile on her lips as she shrugged, looking off to the side of the room.

A short laugh broke out of him. "You are surely not shy, are you?" He took a step closer to her so that his face was right against her turned away one. "You were certainly not shy in my kitchen yesterday," he reminded her.

She shrugged again. "This just seems more … intense … than yesterday did."

She felt his cheek move and knew he was smiling. "I was there, so believe me when I say that yesterday was just as intense, Lorelai. I think it's always going to be intense between us." He kissed her cheek, then let his mouth trail down her neck, licking and kissing until he reached her bra. "Lose the pants," he whispered, stepping back a small distance so that he could see her.

Her lungs felt like they might explode, but she got her pants off and started to stand up again. But then she realized she had on one of her oldest pair of plain cotton panties and utilitarian bras. Her hands instinctively tried to cover up as much of the underwear that at one time had been white but now looked as dingy beige as possible.

"Now what?" Luke sighed.

She tried to ignore the blush that she felt heating her cheeks. "I wasn't expecting anybody to see these. These aren't exactly my fancy-date undies."

A large grin shot across his face. "You know what? This might come as a shock to you, but guys actually don't care very much about the underwear. It's all about what's going on underneath the underwear that truly holds our attention."

"But still …" She shrugged. "I want you to imagine I always have on the stuff like I did Saturday night."

Luke frowned, then shook his head regretfully. "See? That's what I mean. I don't even remember what you had on Saturday night."

"Luke!" she said heatedly. Her hands fisted and went to her waist as she glared at him. It wasn't until his face lit up with another grin that she realized he was teasing her.

"Here," he said, stepping close enough to offer her another bite as a peace offering. "You earned it." He nuzzled her neck as she chewed, and she found that she was barely able to swallow with the sensations he was causing with his mouth against her skin. "In fact, go ahead and take another bite, just for the sexy underwear."

As she struggled to take another bite out of the rapidly diminishing pastry, Luke's hand went to her back and eased her bra open before she was even aware of what he was doing. He chased the straps down her arms and it fell to the floor between their feet.

"Oops," he said. "How'd that happen? I'd better be careful, or the next thing you know ―"

She gasped and rose to her toes in shock as the half-eaten doughnut was pressed onto her breast, the custard filling painting her nipple. The creamy filling felt cold on her overheated skin and she could feel her nipple furling into a hard point. She gasped again and clutched at his arm as her other nipple was bathed in the custard as well.

"Geez, Lorelai, I'm sorry," he said, his voice deep and husky. "You'd better take the rest of this while I clean you up." He thrust what was left of the doughnut into her hand and then bent his head to her breast.

She didn't want the doughnut. She couldn't care less about the doughnut. But she crammed it into her mouth and chewed frantically, wanting to get rid of it quickly so that the only thing she needed to concentrate on was what he was doing to her.

He didn't suck on her, but instead he licked. His tongue started underneath her breast and licked upward, slowly, finally swirling around her engorged nipple. He did it over and over, circling completely around her areola, and the thought raced through her fevered mind that he was licking her like an ice cream cone. She whimpered and clung to his strong arms as he started on her other breast.

"I think you're all clean now," he muttered, and dropped down to his knees. His hands and mouth slid down her stomach, past her naval and downward to her dingy panties. "Spread your legs a little, Sweetie. I'm still hungry," he whispered, as his fingers tugged the cotton down her thighs.

He licked her until she opened for him, and then he used the suction he'd banked from her breast cleaning. His hands held open her thighs and one thumb worked its way in from behind. It rubbed against her opening, back and forth, back and forth, before finally pushing inside. More whimpers struggled out of her throat as she anchored her hands on his shoulders. Her fingers bunched up his green-and-gray plaid, and the sensation of feeling his soft clothing while she was completely bare made the pleasure from his mouth even more intense.

All at once she was being steered backwards. The bed nudged her legs and her bottom landed on it. He guided her until she was lying down, and then he grasped her heels and raised them to the mattress, opening her legs. He pulled her towards him until she was on the very edge of the bed.

He leaned over her, kissing her lips, opening her mouth with his tongue. She didn't know when he'd gotten himself unzipped, but she could feel him at her entrance now as he pressed against her, granite-hard and desperate. Even so, he didn't try to thrust into her, but as he continued to lean over to kiss her the pressure from their position caused her entrance to finally yield and the tip of him pushed inside. She tightened around him, urging him to drive deeper.

He straightened and stood, pulling her lower body up onto him so that the bed was only under her upper back. Her thighs were against his chest and her legs found a home on either side of his face. He leaned over her, pushing himself deep.

Her fingers bit into the cording around the edge of the mattress as she tried to find some leverage to keep herself pushing up against him while he plunged into her, opening her ever further and claiming her as his.

One hand slipped down from holding her leg steady and snaked through her short, dark curls. His finger found her wet, slippery center and her head made an indentation in the mattress as she writhed under the pleasure he was creating for her. Without warning, ecstasy exploded under his swirling finger and she forgot how to breathe as her body quaked around his.

He kept thrusting into her, and each thrust sent another small tremor of bliss through her. He pushed into her as deeply as he could and stilled. She forced her eyes open in time to see him throw back his head, the muscles in his neck straining as he flooded into her.

"Luke," she whispered, rubbing herself mindlessly against him.

He gulped in air and leaned over her again, straining to reach her mouth for a soulful kiss of satisfaction. Then he partially stood again, his knees shaking against the edge of the mattress as they both tried to catch their breath and come back to reality.

Eventually she came to her senses enough to realize that his arms were under her back, tugging at her. She looped her arms around his neck and then held on tight as he raised her up against him. She fastened her legs around his back, processing how odd that felt, her bare chest rubbing against the cotton and flannel that still covered him. The only place where they had skin-on-skin contact was where they were still joined together. He turned them slowly and sat down heavily on the bed, holding her to him. Lorelai's legs stuck out behind him, across his bed. He buried his head into the space under her chin.

"This is so _crazy_!" she heard him mutter against her skin. "So _damn_ crazy!" She picked up an undercurrent of dread or possibly despair, and her heart started to race.

"Luke?" She tried to raise his head, but he burrowed into her even deeper. "Luke, what's wrong?"

She felt him take in another huge gulp of air. He still wouldn't look at her, but he started to move his head against her chin. The grip on her back relaxed and he rubbed his hand up and down her spine.

"All of these years, I thought you were crazy," he tried to explain, his voice a gruff whisper. "I'd watch the crazy things you'd do, and listen to the crazy talk spill out of your mouth, and shudder at the crazy stuff you'd eat." He moved his head, his eyes raking over her face before he laid his rough cheek against hers. "And I guess I thought that if we ever got together, that I'd be able to dampen down your crazy. But instead, look at us!" He straightened and pulled back, his hands holding her shoulders as his chin indicated their current joining. "This is nuts, Lorelai! I mean, do you think I've ever done anything like this before?"

"That's not anything I'd particularly care to think about right now," she shot back. With terrifying awareness she saw her vulnerability as she sat on his lap, totally naked. And even scarier, the protective coating she normally kept around her heart had been allowed to be stripped away as well, leaving her completely defenseless.

"Well, I haven't!" he snapped. "I don't know that I've even had fantasies that match the things we've done the last couple of days!" He took a breath and rested his head against her for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was quieter. "I just never thought your crazy would infect me."

She nodded, shivering, because she'd turned to ice from the inside out, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly again, trying to warm her.

She struggled to get the words out of her mouth. "Are you saying you want out? Are you saying we shouldn't be together?"

"_What?_" He gave her that cross, perplexed look he'd always given her when she talked crazy. "No! Absolutely not!" His hand angled her face down to his, and he kissed her with a tenderness that nearly broke her heart. "I'm just trying to explain that I want you with an intensity I've never felt before. I want you, Lorelai. I want you more than anything I've ever imagined." He paused briefly. "And that sort of scares me," he admitted. "But dear God, I want you so much."

"Is that OK?" she whispered, nestled against the side of his head, his ear under her cheek. She thought it was, but she was still so anxious she wasn't sure.

He sighed as his hands smoothed over her skin. "It's OK. It's very OK." He pulled at her shoulders, bringing her back so he could see her face. "I'm just starting to realize why nothing else has ever worked for me. This level of want wasn't there. The crazy wasn't there. I needed your crazy, Lorelai."

"My crazy completes you?" she asked, trying to sound lighthearted, even though her blood was still skittering through her from the panicked moments just before.

He chuckled and she warmed at the feeling of it against her. "Maybe," he agreed, and kissed her again, his lips pulling on hers as he broke away.

He turned sideways and eased her off of him, letting her tumble onto his unmade bed. He pulled the blanket over her and sank down onto his knees next to the bed, smoothing back her hair as he watched her face.

"You can stay here, if you want." He kissed her again and tucked the covers around her. "Just stay here and sleep. I'd love to think of you up here like this, waiting for me."

She swallowed hard against the sweet pile of sap collecting in her throat. "I can't," she said, freeing an arm from the covers to stroke his face. "I've still got about 3 hours left at the Dragonfly before I can call it a night."

He grimaced and shook his head. "Sorry. Totally forgot about that." He stood up, quickly getting his clothes back to where they were supposed to be. "I'm going to have to run downstairs and open. You use whatever you need up here, OK?"

"OK." She watched him head for the door. He grabbed his hat from where it had landed on the floor and turned to catch one last look at her. She blew him a goofy kiss. He grinned and was gone.

She shut her eyes and rubbed her face against his pillow, smelling him. For just a moment she relaxed every one of her muscles, sinking into the comfort of his bed, wishing like crazy she could just stay right where she was and wait for him. But then she sighed and flung back the covers, swinging her legs over the edge.

Desire was done. Duty had to be fulfilled.

With a gusty sigh she headed to the bathroom.

* * *

**Wednesday morning. Luke's Diner. Not quite as damn early.**

Lorelai cautiously pushed back the curtain into the dining area. She hoped this wasn't going to be a repeat of Sunday morning. Thankfully she saw that the few extra-early patrons in Luke's were too busy gobbling down breakfast to take much note of her.

She wondered if she should just nonchalantly make her way to the door without interrupting Luke's concentration. He saw her, though, before she could slip too far away, and motioned for her to come up to the counter.

"Here." He pushed a bag and a to-go cup towards her.

She had no control over the smitten smile she felt on her face. "I didn't order anything."

He was trying not to display just how happy he was, but the upturned corner of his mouth was giving it away. "Thought you probably needed something," he tried to say blandly.

She looked inside the bag and spied two Boston cream doughnuts tucked inside. She gave him a wide, innocent look, and took a small step backwards. With a resigned sigh, she started to unbutton the top eggplant on her shirt.

Luke nearly leapt over the counter to grab her arms. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

She shrugged, still trying to maintain her air of injured innocence. "I have to barter for these somehow, don't I?"

He dipped his head down, looking like he was torn between annoyance and trying not to laugh. "I think your account is overpaid, actually. I think I owe you."

She beamed at him. "Wow, bartering is great! I'm going to have to try it more often!"

"You only barter with me," he warned her sternly. Then he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "See ya, Lorelai."

"See ya, Luke," she replied, feeling on top of the world. She gave him one more golden smile and headed for the door.

On the way around the building to the Jeep she paused just long enough to take one good gulp of the coffee he'd so thoughtfully sent along with her.

She choked and sputtered when her taste buds encountered tangy orange juice instead of the dark elixir of life she'd expected. Her glowering eyes turned to the window.

He grinned at her smugly. She saw his lips form the word 'healthy' as he pointed at her. Still grinning, he motioned for her to drink up.

And all she could do was to shake her head at him and grin back.

The crazy went both ways, apparently.

A few minutes later she was on her way to the Dragonfly. Maybe they would do a better job of fighting it on Thursday, she thought, hoping no one saw her speeding over the back streets. She licked some custard filling off her upper lip and shivered. Somehow she just didn't think that restraint was going to be in their immediate future.

_**Tomorrow: Self-Control Thursday!**_


	4. Thursday

**Thursday. 7:26 P.M. Meeting Hall (aka Miss Patty's).**

"So I was thinkin', maybe the fountain could go right next to Pierpont, ya know? Maybe make 'im like a grotto or somethin'. But that it'd put it pretty close to your back door, Doll. Ya think you'd have any problem with the noise from the waterfall if I got Morey to put it there?"

"Uh huh," Lorelai murmured, looking back over her shoulder towards the big sliding doors of the dance studio. She put a hand on her neck and massaged the crick developing there. She'd looked backwards so many times, watching for him, that her neck was starting to hurt.

"No? You don't want me to put it there?" Babette sounded miffed.

"What?" Confused, Lorelai swung her head back around and looked at her neighbor.

Babette studied her for a moment, then cackled with insight. "Never mind, Doll. You just keep watchin' for that hunk o' man of yours. I'll talk to you about gardenin' when you don't have somethin' sexy on your mind!"

"Oh, Babette, no, that's not ―" But from her seat in the row ahead of Lorelai, Babette gave her a grin and a wink, and turned back around, leaning against Morey with a contented sigh.

The truth was, Lorelai _was_ waiting for Luke. She had a seat saved for him right next to her. She thought for sure he'd be here. That was why she'd bypassed the diner and hurried through Patty's blue door instead. Now she was having second thoughts. As much as the town meetings provided comic fodder for her, her diner man provided much, much more.

Taylor stepped up to take his place at the podium and panic rushed through her. She decided to hightail it out before he could start his long-winded summary of Stars Hollow events. She grabbed for her purse stowed under her seat but then heard the sound of the door being rolled shut.

"Luke, you'd think that with all of the years you've lived here, you'd be able to calculate the travel time necessary to arrive _before_ I've called the meeting to order." Taylor's voice was dripping with disapproval.

Cool relief washed through her as she swiveled in her seat, confirming Luke's just-in-time appearance.

"Shut up, Taylor. At least I'm here." The spiteful glare aimed at Taylor cut off when he caught sight of her. He hurried over to the side aisle and moved to take the seat beside her.

She tucked her hands under her thighs to stop herself from any inappropriate sampling as he shuffled past her knees to get to the empty seat. But she looked. Oh, my yes, she looked.

He sat down and suddenly the spot next to her was filled with heat and breath and a clean, spicy scent. He looked over at her, a smoldering smile on his lips and another type of fire in his eyes. Her heart was thundering. It seemed so illicit, getting to sit together in public like this. She put her hand on his leg, right above his knee, thrilled to know she got to do that now.

"Thought maybe you weren't coming," she whispered, leaning in to him.

He looked at her, acknowledging the dirty right there in her words, and they both grinned. _Not yet_, they were both thinking. They looked straight ahead, trying to get their juvenile smirking under control.

He put his arm along the back of her chair. "Just got held up," he whispered back.

She caught the clean scent of him again. She put her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers feeling the still-damp hair beginning to curl there. She moved her head closer to his ear, her nose touching and rubbing against the top of it. "Did you shower?" she whispered, her lips touching his skin as they moved. "You smell good."

She felt the tremor go through him. "Maybe," he murmured, trying to keep his eyes focused on the front of the room.

It was impossible to follow whatever was going on in the meeting. Her mind was too occupied with the man beside her, dressed in a dark blue polo shirt that emphasized his strong shoulders and gave just a tantalizing glimpse of that tattoo on his arm. The buttons were open, showing off just a hint of that sexy chest. It was tucked down by a belt her fingers were just itching to unbuckle. And that wasn't even taking into consideration the jeans that had been perfectly molded into his shape after so many repeated wearings.

"You look really nice," she observed, leaning into him again. She stretched out her fingers on his leg, lightly massaging. Her little finger found the inseam along his thigh, tracing it as far as she could reach.

His hand that had been behind her came up to caress her shoulder, bared by her sleeveless top. His eyes traveled over the aqua capris that fit her like a second skin and snagged briefly on the way her green-and-aqua top was tied snugly over her bare midriff. His hand moved from her shoulder to her face, pulling her closer to him so he could whisper back.

"You look good, too." His gaze settled on her top button while his fingers lightly played with her hair. "I bought eggplant today."

She had limited success in smothering her giggle. "You didn't!"

He nodded, his fingers lazily stroking her neck, her cheek, reaching her ear through her hair. "I did. Don't know what I'm going to do with the damn things, but I had to have 'em."

"I've had eggplant Parmesan a few times. That's pretty good," she suggested.

His shoulders shrugged against her. "I can find a recipe." He gave her a squeeze.

Again, they tried to focus on the meeting.

She felt Luke scanning the crowd. "Where's Rory?" he whispered to her, his hand softly spanning her neck again.

"She didn't want to come." Worry about her daughter knocked the sexual tension level down a few pegs. "She's still worried everybody's talking about her."

His arm slipped down her shoulders again, this time offering protection with his embrace. "It'll pass," he promised.

"Hope so." She gave him a small smile before leaning against him with a sigh. Her hand slipped upwards on his thigh as she shifted her position. The sexual tension shot right back up to the red alert level.

This time it was his mouth that was right up against her ear. "You didn't come to the diner today." Even at a whisper, his voice was husky with need.

She shook her head, trying to swallow past the huge lump of desire. "Sorry. My body's all messed up. I slept when I should have been up, and I was wide awake when I should have been asleep."

He turned towards her a little bit more, and his arm pressed her tight against him. She could feel his strength and the strength of his craving for her. "Maybe I can straighten your body out," he suggested, the growl in his whisper making her insides quiver. "Maybe I know just the thing your body needs."

"_Luke!_ Luke Danes! Are you just going to sit there and let this continue?"

They both jumped as if they'd been scalded. Her hand flew up his leg and smacked him in the chest.

It was Jackson who was standing, looking at Luke balefully. "We depend on you to be the watchman on this sort of thing, you know."

"Yeah," Gypsy piped up. "Stop making kissy faces at Lorelai and do your civic duty!"

Lorelai moved a little further away from Luke, but she could feel him breathing hard. "Why me?" he snapped, instantly on the defensive.

"Because it's what you do, dear," Miss Patty pointed out. "Taylor tries to decree some harebrained scheme and we depend on you start the resistance movement. Your rant gets everyone else rallied. It's what we've been conditioned to expect. You don't rant, and the rest of us don't know what to do."

Sookie stood up, joining her irritated husband. "It's true, Luke. We pretty much need your opposition to show us the two sides of the story. You don't object, and we think, well, maybe it's not such a bad plan after all."

"It's a bad plan!" Jackson waved his arms about wildly. "Trust me, it's a monumentally bad plan!"

"It might not be _that_ bad," Andrew ventured.

Gypsy zeroed in on him. "Really? You want to spend your Saturday at the lake, picking up pop bottles and dog poop?"

Lulu turned around in her chair. "We all enjoy the lake. It's only fair that we all have a hand in making sure it remains a beautiful resource for the community."

"Easy for you to say!" Jackson thundered at her. "You're not a business owner! Your name's not on Taylor's list of people who have to pitch in!"

"You can't talk to my girlfriend that way!" Kirk blustered, but sat down quickly when Jackson glared at him.

"My name's not on the list, but I'd be happy to pitch in," Lulu said, her voice the mix of pleasant and stern that made third-graders listen to her. "Maybe instead of Taylor presenting a list of names and times when people _have_ to be there, he should let the public volunteer. I know that the Boy Scouts would be willing to work, and probably the PTA, too. I think a lot of people would come out to help."

"Exactly." Andrew was nodding. "I'd be happy to bring some trash bags and I could work anytime after 4. But I can't be there at 10. That's my busiest time of day."

"I'm not pickin' up other people's dirt," Gypsy muttered. "But I'll drive over in my truck a couple of times during the day and take the trash to the dump."

Miss Patty stood up, looking over the assembled townspeople. "All in favor of cleaning up the lake two Saturdays from now, but on our own time schedule, raise your hands."

"You can't just ―" Taylor sputtered.

Everyone raised their hands. Luke and Lorelai looked at each other, shrugged, and then slowly raised their hands, joining the rest of the town.

"Motion carries," Miss Patty proclaimed.

"That's my job!" Taylor griped. "Oh, very well. Motion carries."

Luke and Lorelai looked at each other again, smiling. They sat back in their seats, leaving a few empty inches between them, and for the rest of the meeting tried very hard to actually listen to the town's business instead of their own yearning hearts.

Lorelai thought that 'meeting adjourned' were two of the most beautiful words she'd ever heard.

"Walk me home?" she asked Luke, sounding almost shy.

"I'll walk you home," he agreed, his hand once more running up and down her bare arm.

He took her hand and they made their way to the door, oblivious to the conversations their friends were having all around them.

All they were aware of was that they had a few brief minutes to finally be together.

**Thursday evening. 8:23 P.M. At the Crapshack.**

"Do you want to come in?" Lorelai asked. The walk home had gone much too quickly, even though she'd tried to dawdle. They were already standing in front of her porch, their hands still clasped together.

Luke's eyes flicked over the windows, lit up from the television playing inside. "I'd better not. Lane's running things, and I told her I wouldn't be too long."

"Sure. Right. I understand," she mumbled, quickly running through possible scenarios in her head. Her daughter was right inside. Too awkward to kiss Luke goodnight in there. Babette and Morey had ambled home just ahead of them, so she knew chances were good that her neighbor was looking out her front window right now, waiting to catch them in a clinch. She looked around, trying to find some way to give Luke the goodnight kiss she craved.

Her eyes hit on the garage. _Bingo._

"Come with me," she urged him, pulling on his hand. "Tell me if you can fix this."

She heard his long-suffering sigh; felt his resistance as he followed her. "I really don't have time for this right now. Can't it wait?"

She dropped his hand and started to tug on the ancient door. He didn't move to help, and she turned to glare at him. "You can be _so_ dense sometimes, you know?"

He looked at her, confused, and then it suddenly all made sense. "Oh. _Oh!_" He stepped in front of her and pushed open the door in no time.

They stepped into the gloomy building, breathing in the dust they had stirred up. Lorelai quickly pulled the door shut behind them. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she stepped around the piles of accumulated junk and reached the window above what had probably been a workbench at one time. She pushed it open, even though the rusty hinges protested. Carefully she made her way over to the other side of the building, opening that window as well. A heavenly cool cross-breeze instantly wove through, making the space seem more welcoming.

She turned and found out that Luke was right behind her. He pulled her against him, and she let her bones melt into him.

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the closeness. Just enjoying the fact that they were together and could touch each other. Just appreciating the way they fit together.

They turned their faces to each other. Mouths met and opened. Tongues caressed. Heartbeats increased.

As if by mutual agreement they broke apart. This was supposed to be just a goodnight kiss, after all. No need to make themselves too crazy. Even though his thumbs were working themselves in under the material on her bare shoulders. Even though her hands had slid down his back, over the speedbump of his belt, and were now cupping themselves around the firm roundness of his ass. They had control. They could stop.

Maybe talking would help.

"Sometimes I still can't believe you're home," she told him, pulling in breath at the end of the sentence. She really couldn't control the way her fingers continued to grasp at his body. "I wake up in the mornings, and I worry I've made this all up, that it's all just more dreams of the sexually deprived."

"What dreams?" He caught the back of her head in one hand, tipping her back slightly. His other hand felt over her cheek; caressed her neck; slid gently over the swell of her breast.

She gasped again, wanting his hand to stay put on her, wanting him to find her tingling nipple. "Dreams. You know. While you were in Maine. Dreams about what it would be like when you finally came back."

He smiled, his hand cupping just under her breast and squeezing the sides, but not centering in on where she needed it most. "Did you think it would be like this?"

"No," she whispered, glad that there was enough moonlight washing in through the window behind them that she could see his face; glad she could see the yearning making his jaw tighten. "I figured we'd be good together, but I never imagined this totally out-of-control sex thing we've got going on here."

He tipped her head back further and put his mouth to her neck, helping himself to a good taste of her. He stopped when she whimpered, putting his forehead against her. "You missed me, when I was gone?" His voice was ragged.

"So much." Her hands continued to rub the denim on his behind that was keeping her from his skin.

"You thought about me? Thought about ― this?" His hand squeezed upward, his thumb finally finding her hard nipple through the two layers of fabric.

"Yes! Oh, yes!" She closed her eyes, pulling him closer to her as she reveled in the sensations shooting down to her center. "I thought about you everyday you were gone. Everyday for seven long weeks I thought about this."

"Really?" He stopped, and her eyes flew open to see him frowning slightly. "We'd only had those few kisses at the Dragonfly."

"They were good kisses," she panted. "Really good kisses. Don't sell yourself short," she admonished him.

His mouth tilted up in that sexy smile of his. "They were good kisses." He pulled her against him and his hands ran over her back; cupped her ass. "I might have been thinking about you while I was in exile up in Maine, too."

"Yeah?" She pushed a hand between them; located the huge, hard bulge in his jeans and put pressure there. "Were you this hard, thinking of me then?" she asked, teasing, but her voice all hoarse with desire.

He blew out a sound that might have been a curse, and then he somehow found a way to fit his hand down the front of her capris. "I don't know. Were you this wet?"

She threw her head back, unable to control her body's reaction to his questing hand. Her legs parted, frantic for him, and his finger slipped up into her.

"Jesus, Lorelai." His voice was strained and awed as his finger easily slid in and out of her. "You're so wet. You're so wet."

"Everyday." She threw the tormented words against his ear. She was having a difficult time massaging the hardness of him; it kept expanding out of her reach. "Everyday I think of you, and everyday I'm this wet. Everyday I can't wait for you to fill me up."

He groaned in agony and pulled his hand out of her pants. His fingers grasped at her waistband, opening the button there. He rushed the zipper open and then peeled the material down her legs, taking the lacy bikini panties along for the ride. His hand pressed over her mound, his thumb pushing through and sliding against the moist, distended flesh there that was begging for him.

"Stop. Stop!" She put her hands on his hips and pushed, moving away from his pleasuring finger.

"Stop? Are you crazy?" He grabbed at her, but she dodged, breathing harder than ever.

She put her trembling fingers to work on unbuttoning her summer top. "I want all of it Luke, not just that." Her chin jutted downward as she continued to undress, her fingers now working on the knot tied over her stomach.

He stood still and watched, his mouth hanging open as he panted slightly. It closed and he reached for her again when her hands went behind her back, undoing her bra clasp.

She stepped back. "Nuh-huh," she grunted, pointing to his still-clothed body. She dropped her bra, challenging him.

He groaned again, drinking in her naked body there in the moonlight. In one motion he grasped his shirt and yanked it over his head.

Lorelai came over and tried to help with the belt buckle, but he batted her away. "I'm faster," he claimed.

"We'll have to see about that," she disputed, her eyes focused in on all of his hard glory as it was revealed to her. Her hand clamped around as much of him as she could get. This time, they both groaned.

His arms wrapped around her and he nearly lifted her up. The feel of his length pressed against her was almost more than she could bear.

Again she pushed away. "We need … There's got to be … I think …" She padded quickly over to a corner of the garage.

"Where are you going?" Luke beseeched her, not happy.

She'd found the old hammock that used to be in the backyard when Rory was still a little girl reading fairy tales. "Help me," she implored, trying to pull the rusty frame towards the middle of the floor.

His strength moved the hammock easily, tugging it into a puddle of moonlight. Lorelai bent over it, using her arms to dust off the sun-roughened canvas. She didn't want to come face-to-face with an eight-legged beastie while she was in the throes of passion.

Luke's voice sounded like he was at his breaking point. "You have no idea what it does to me when you bend over like that." He moved behind her and cupped her ass again, his hands pulling her apart slightly. He skimmed over the line that separated her, his finger continuing on through the wetness puddled at her entrance, and finally reaching her clit again, sliding over and over it.

She leaned her elbows down onto the canvas, offering herself up further to him. "And you have no idea how that feels to me; your finger ― _God!_ ― and then the breeze finding how wet I am."

He stopped and gently pushed against her, maneuvering her so that he could help her lay back on the hammock. He pulled her legs up and then pushed them apart, admiring her as she lay completely open to him in the moonlight.

He stood beside the hammock at her shoulder, facing her feet. He bent over her, his mouth eagerly covering the space between her legs. She nearly leapt up, but he pushed down on her hips, holding her in place.

The whiskers on his chin rubbed back and forth on the upper part of her. His bottom lip worked on the most sensitive part of her, while his tongue and the rest of his mouth licked over and around her opening. Soon she felt like she was on the verge of exploding at any moment.

She managed to put up her hand and found him. She ran her fingers around the length of him, squeezing and rubbing him, her thumb running over and over the silky tip of him.

He finally tore his mouth away from her. "Stop it," he begged. "Stop. I can't stand any more of that."

"I can't stand it either." She writhed on her back. "Please Luke. Enough. I want you in me."

He looked like he was going to argue for a split second, then changed his mind and attempted to join her on the hammock. His mouth fell to her nipple and he sucked her mindlessly, while his legs tried to find space between hers. But it was just no use. There was no way the hammock was going to accommodate his long legs.

"Move," she ordered tenderly. She scrambled up as soon as he did, and pushed his back down onto the canvas. She put her hands on the wooden dowel that was sewn into the end of the hammock and swung herself up on top of him. She kissed him desperately then, her hands running everywhere on him.

"Oh." She got his attention and pointed to where he was pressed up against her, the tip of him snaking up way past her belly button. "Are we really going to be able to make all of that fit in me?" She was teasing him, sure, but in some way she was actually concerned at the size of him tonight. The thought of him all pushed up in her was exciting beyond belief.

"Oh, yeah." His voice was ready to shatter. He pulled her to him; kissed her deeply. "We'll make it fit. I promise." He raised her hips over him, and then started to pull her down, beginning their slow journey of fulfillment.

"See? Told you," he gasped out, as she finally settled tight against him.

"I'll never doubt you again," she said huskily, immediately pushing herself back up to begin the trip down on him all over again.

The hammock swung back and forth as they found their rhythm. The cool summer breeze picked up their grunts of pleasure and whirled them around the garage. The light from the moon glossed over their bodies as they worked to find the perfect spot for both of them.

Luke found it first. His hips arched up off the hammock, pushing up into her with abandon as he let the sensations from her body completely overwhelm him. He moaned and shut his eyes, lost to everything but his release.

Lorelai watched him, fascinated. She delayed her pleasure, watching his play out over him instead. When he calmed and opened his eyes, looking at her with such tenderness, she leaned up over him, kissing him for all she was worth.

The slight change in position was all that she needed. She rubbed herself against him, her inner muscles working on his hardness still inside of her. Her head tipped to the roof as she shuddered and shook around him, the waves of joy washing over her body.

She collapsed on top of him and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. They snuggled together, trying to fight the contented drowsiness coming from their suddenly lax muscles.

"That was more than a kiss goodnight," Lorelai observed.

Luke chuckled, and she smiled against his chest. "Although I wouldn't mind saying goodnight like that every night," he suggested.

She giggled and sat up to say something more, but a noise made her pause. Things seemed to be moving oddly. For just a fraction of a second, she thought it was an earthquake. Then she realized the old, rotted canvas was giving way beneath them. She grasped the wooden dowel again, trying to keep herself from plummeting down on top of Luke.

"Ow," Luke said, his gorgeous ass having crashed to the floor. "Dammit," he added, after a beat.

She got her feet under her and then awkwardly moved a leg over the destroyed hammock, trying her best not to give in to a giggling fit. She pulled the ripped fabric away, then dropped to her knees beside him.

"Are you all right?" she asked, running her hands over him to check for injuries. Maybe she couldn't stop the giggles, but she really was concerned that he'd been hurt.

"I'm fine," he said, pushing her hands away. "And stop that, or we're going to be right back in the same position again." He stood up gingerly, looking for his clothes.

"I thought it was an earthquake," she told him, standing up too. "I thought I was going to have to make some joke about how the earth had never moved like that before for me."

Luke paused while trying to turn his jeans right-side out. "For me…" he started. He shook his head. "For me, it's true," he said gruffly. "It's never felt like it does with you."

Her heart felt like it was shaking in her chest. "Me, too," she told him, realizing he'd probably never understand how much courage it had taken her to admit that. "It's like nothing I've ever felt before. I've never felt like this with anyone."

He zipped up his jeans and bent to snag his shirt. "Someday, when we both have time, I want us to go away. I want to keep you in a bedroom with me until I finally get my fill of you." He shook his head. "If that's even possible."

"A bedroom?" Lorelai's voice was mocking. She didn't want him to know how much she wanted that too. "How quaint. A bedroom." Her eyes deliberately roved around the garage.

Luke laughed. "Yeah, we haven't been too conventional, have we?"

"Conventional's overrated," she stated.

They finished getting dressed and Luke helped her push the hammock frame back over into a dusty corner. She wadded up the ripped canvas and stuffed it into the garbage can when they stepped outside.

"Thanks for walking me home," she told him, her eyes sparkling.

"Thanks for showing me the garage," he countered.

He walked her up to the porch steps again.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked.

She took one step up on the stairs, turning around then to fling her arms about his shoulders. He pulled her tight against him.

"Well," she sighed. "It's Friday, so there's work, and then there's the torture chamber otherwise known as the dining room at the Gilmore estate. But ―" Her lips nuzzled his neck. "If there's any way I can get to you, I will."

"You got to me a long time ago, Lorelai," he said, not sounding like he was joking.

"Mmm. I like knowing that," she breathed out against him. They shared a kiss; one that spoke of everything they had just done and everything that they were hoping to do in the future.

"Goodnight," she whispered to him.

"Goodnight," he said back, reluctantly.

She watched the moonlight shine on his freshly-showered hair as he started up the street. He paused just once, looking back and waving sort of self-consciously at her when he saw she was watching.

Lorelai quickly looked herself over, making sure she was presentable enough to be seen by her daughter. Briefly she reflected on how different her feelings were about Luke. In other relationships, with other guys, she'd always looked forward to the end of the date. No matter how much fun she'd had, or how good the movie was, or how great the sex might have been, there was always something so satisfying about coming home to her own house. She loved the feeling of being completely in charge of things, here with Rory. She relished being the queen of her own kingdom. She liked being on her own.

But now...

She looked longingly down the street, to the point where he'd disappeared into the dark. She should have tried harder to get him to come inside. She hadn't really been ready to say goodnight yet.

In fact, she missed him already.

**Next: Will Friday really be torturous?**


End file.
